08 Seneca 35GS

[Doodlebug557]

Hi All,
Name is Bill and the new owner of a Jayco Seneca 35gs. I pick it up in about 10 days so I thought it would be good to see what everyone has to say about that unit. Thanks
Bill

[ronfisherman]

carlada wrote:
I live in Oregon and, unless I'm in town, I use the exhaust brake. On the interstate, I'm in cruise control. Personally, I find the exhaust brake a positive experience, save the noise it creates. I typically drive slower than traffic. Guess they're in a bigger hurry than I am.

Is there a reason that you turn off exhaust brake in town?

[Doodlebug557]

Thanks for all the great advice, it really did help. Well after running the summer with it here in Ohio I made the first suspension upgrade. I installed the rear track bar. After reading many comments on what to instal first, I decided on that. I saw some improvement in tracking down the road and wind push from passing trucks. But now my camping season is over for awhile here in NE Ohio. So into storage she goes. I'm thinking rear sway bar in the spring to control a little bit of the roll. Then having the front end looked over by a local GM dealer. Primarly confirming all the tie rod ends are good and solid along with the steering box. Still able to turn the steering wheel a quarter of a turn before I feel the MH move. Not sure if that is within tolerances or not.

Bill
MKC USCG-Ret
08 Jayco Seneca 35GS

[carlada]

I live in Oregon and, unless I'm in town, I use the exhaust brake. On the interstate, I'm in cruise control. Personally, I find the exhaust brake a positive experience, save the noise it creates. I typically drive slower than traffic. Guess they're in a bigger hurry than I am.

[BobandShaz]

Sounds good for us 🙂

[ronfisherman]

I leave the exhaust brake switch on most of the time, Unless I am driving on hilly roads. Then I may turn it off to take advantage of the added speed that can be gained going downhill. I use cruise control most of the time. When going downhill I will sometimes put a little pressure on throttle pedal to keep exhaust brake from activating. As you drive your motorhome you will find what works best for you.

[USCG-Ret]

Well had a good trip from Florida to Ohio. Absolutely no issues. Drove as expected, very little wind drift even when semi's passed. Everything seemed to work correctly. First time with an exhaust brake, used it a couple of times, but I am not sure if I was doing it right. It appeared to slow me down, sometimes too much. I could use some advice on that item. According to my figures I got 10.2mpg. Since it was a new driving experience, I kept it 5mph under the speed limit so everyone passed me except for the trucks going up a grade.
Parked it on level ground when I stopped to reset and didn't seem to notice any tail droop it sat pretty much level. Propane was full along with a 3/4 water tank. So maybe I have the heaver springs, I am not sure. The MH only has 26k miles on it and the engine appeared to run strong.

Going out again this weekend on an overnight shakedown since I believe I have it loaded like it should be with gear.

Bill

[carlada]

I have an 08 35GS and am very happy with it. Mine had the 17K springs, so I added SuperSprings to it. Greatly improved the rear end sag and overall ride. Additionally, I upgraded my shocks to Koni. When I bought mine, it came with a SuperSteer stabilizer and a rear trac bar.

Great looking rig, great running rig. You'll be pleased.

[BobandShaz]

Seneca links
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f87/jayco-seneca-10324.html
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f58/jayco-seneca-37fs-153849.html
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f87/seneca-by-jayco-151009.html

[BEVAR]

We have an '06 35GS and love it!

We did rear springs, shocks, airbags, front and rear track bars and sway bars and a steering stabilizer.

The only problem we had was an intermittent gauge issue traced to a bad ground and the fridge door broke.

We got it in '07 and now have 90,000 miles on it and 2400 hours on the generator. You will be very happy with your new rig...welcome to Seneca World!

Beave

[GrumpyandGrandm]

I've got an 08 35GS and it has been basically flawless. Hopefully your unit will have the same chassis under it as mine does which means the 19,000 rear springs so no need for super springs. We did have the NORCOLD door issue and we had issues with the radiator which has also plagued some other owners. As to handling all we did was added the Henderson rear track bar to help with the tail wag. I am able to drive very relaxed and have no issues with passing trucks or wind. Currently at 50,000 + miles.

Enjoy your new rig.

[BobandShaz]

I am going to try and bring some links from IRV2 over here. People seem to love the Jayco quality on anything they make.

The DW and I are shopping for a Seneca. We really like the new 37TS but are looking at used also.

[Pigkisser]

The best improvement I made on my '07 Seneca 33SS was the addition of SuperSprings and a rear track bar. Really improved the handling of the rig. I also created an extension for the water separator wire plug that connects to the bottom of the fuel filter. The one from the factory is very short and hard to reach in order to unplug/plug when replacing the Duramax fuel filter.

[Doodlebug557]

Thanks BobandShaz I'll look for it. The 2008 was within the budget. The only thing I feel I need to do at the moment is to replace the tires. Unit has 27k miles but tires are original. Once I pick it up and drive for a bit I'll start making my improvement list. This is my first class C, been a five'r man for quite awhile. So it will be for sale while I'm learning the Kodiak chassie and how to drive a class C. Any specfic items I should look at?

[ronfisherman]

Welcome to RV.NET.
Several members have Jayco Seneca models here. They have had a few problems. Most have been related to rear springs. Beyond that the Kodiak has been very good.